Michael J. Fox has landed an Emmy nomination six years after stepping away from acting.
The Edmonton-born actor, who appears in Apple TV’s “Shrinking,” is nominated for best guest actor in a comedy series. The role marks his return to live-action acting after retiring from TV in 2020 due to the advancing symptoms of his Parkinson’s disease.
Fox plays Gerry — a man who meets with a therapist played by Harrison Ford. The two bond over their shared experience of living with Parkinson’s.
The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 when he was 29 years old. He founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation after his diagnosis, which funds research and spreads awareness.
This marks Fox’s first Emmy nomination since his role on “The Good Wife” in 2016. He previously won Emmys for “Family Ties,” “Spin City,” and “Rescue Me.”
“Shrinking” picked up 9 nominations overall, while the HBO Max series “Hacks” set the record for most nominations in a single year for a comedy with 24.
Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” previously held the record with 23 nominations last year.
Among other Canadians up for Emmys is R. Scott Gemmill, whose medical drama “The Pitt” leads all shows with 25 nominations.
The Orangeville, Ont. native is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the HBO Max show. He’ll compete for best writing for a drama and best drama series.
The series chronicles the grueling shifts of health-care workers in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital emergency room.
“The Pitt” also grabbed three nods for best guest actress in a drama for Tina Ivlev, Tal Anderson and Brittany Allen.
The Toronto-born Allen self-submitted for Emmy consideration after HBO excluded her from the network’s official submission package.
Allen also submitted herself to the Daytime Emmys in 2011 for outstanding younger actress in a drama series when she was on “All My Children” — and won.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Martin Short continues his Emmy streak, picking up a nomination for best comedy actor for his role on the Disney Plus series “Only Murders in the Building.”
He has now been nominated five years in a row for the role.
Short plays theatre director Oliver Putnam, starring alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. The trio records a podcast about their detective work while trying to solve crimes.
The veteran actor was also nominated for best game show host for the Montreal-shot “Match Game,” which airs on CTV.
Short’s former “SCTV” colleague Eugene Levy picked up a nom for his hosting duties for the Apple TV Plus nonfiction series “The Reluctant Traveler”
Toronto’s Lorne Michaels, the “Saturday Night Live” creator, is also in the running for best variety series. Michaels is the most nominated individual in Emmys history with 113 — he has won 23 over his career.
Colorado-born “Heated Rivalry” star Connor Storrie nabbed his first Emmy nomination for his “SNL” hosting duties in February. He’ll compete for best guest actor in a comedy.
Crave’s steamy hockey drama, which features Storrie as Ilya Rozanov alongside Canadian Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, was not eligible to be nominated for the Emmys because it was entirely produced in Canada.
The show’s creator Jacob Tierney told The Canadian Press that being left out of the Emmys race is fine with him — he always knew they wouldn’t qualify.
“It’s like asking if you want to go to a thing you know you’re not going to get invited to: it’s fine. God bless them,” he said on the Canadian Screen Awards red carpet in May.
Other Canadian nominees include Seth Rogen, who received a nomination for outstanding pre-recorded variety special, as an executive producer on Disney Plus’ “The Muppet Show.”
And New Brunswick-born chef-turned-actor Matty Matheson is in the running for best comedy series as part of the producing team behind Disney Plus dramedy “The Bear.”
Montreal’s Barry Julian is part of the executive team for “Late Night with Stephen Colbert,” which was nominated for best variety series. He also got a nod for best writing.
Canada’s Graham Yost will square off against Gemmill in the best drama series category as executive producer of Apple TV Plus’ “Slow Horses.”
The 78th Emmy Awards will be hosted by “Law and Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay live from Los Angeles Sept. 14 on CTV.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.
